Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 27 September 1999

Scottish Executive

Census

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to amend the Census format to include questions on caring responsibilities.

Mr Jim Wallace: The topics proposed by the UK Government for the 2001 Census of Population were announced in the White Paper (Cm 4253) published on 4 March 1999. The White Paper contained a proposal to include, for the first time in a Census in the UK, a question on the provision of care. The precise wording of the question is still undergoing research.

  The Scottish Executive is reviewing the proposals of the UK Government for the Census and later in the year will make proposals about the content of the Census in Scotland, in an Order for approval by the Parliament.

Communities

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-190 by Jackie Baillie on 11 August 1999, what additional information it can provide about how policies are examined for any differential impact on different groups within society, and in particular how this is done in respect of the impact on single people.

Jackie Baillie: The new Equality Unit in the Scottish Executive will be developing a comprehensive strategy on mainstreaming equality in policy development. This work will support the commitment to putting equality of opportunity at the heart of policy making within the Scottish Executive. The strategy will include the impact of policy on single people.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in Scotland since May 1997.

Henry McLeish: There are no published figures on overall job loss or job creation for Scotland.

  Civilian Workforce Jobs series data, which are available quarterly on a seasonally unadjusted basis, show that the number of manufacturing jobs in Scotland fell by 10,000 to 306,000 between March 1997 and March 1999.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is considering in order to protect land against environmental damage caused by spreading organic waste.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any measures to restrict the types of organic waste currently spread on land.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any measures to prohibit (a) injecting organic waste into land with field drains; (b) spreading organic waste outwith daylight hours, and (c) spreading organic waste on national heritage sites.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is currently assessing the responses to a recent public consultation exercise based on the recommendations of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land. We hope to announce our conclusions from this consultation and proposals on the way forward later this year.

Finance

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for discussions with the Parliament and the Finance Committee on its strategic spending priorities for the financial year 2000-01, and what is its deadline for those discussions.

Mr Jack McConnell: As I said during the debate on Financial Issues on 24 June, I intend to make a statement in the autumn on the financial expenditure announced in the partnership agreement. The revised draft budget for 2000-01, based on decisions of the new Scottish Executive, will be presented to Parliament in October 1999.

Finance

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its preliminary draft budget for the financial year 2000-01.

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its detailed budget proposals for the financial year 2000-01.

Mr Jack McConnell: The revised draft budget for 2000-01 will be presented to Parliament in October 1999.

Finance

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will present the budget documents not only according to current Scottish Executive departmental structure, but also reflecting the former Scottish Office departmental structure, in order to make possible direct comparison with spending in previous years in both cash and real terms.

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to what detailed level it plans to disaggregate its budget figures.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is committed to allowing time for detailed scrutiny of draft Budget proposals by Subject committees and the Finance committee. Final Budget proposals will be presented to the Parliament in January alongside the Budget Bill. Following FIAG’s recommendations, these will show a range of disaggregations of the Scottish Budget by both function and objective. In line with past practice, where departmental structures have been changed, figures for outturn expenditure will be shown as far as possible on the new structure.

Finance

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its first Annual Report, as recommended in the Financial Issues Advisory Group report.

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that its first Annual Report will outline its budget proposals for the financial year 2001-02 and its provisional budget plans for the following two financial years.

Mr Jack McConnell: We plan to publish our first report on 20 March 2000 which is in advance of the recommended FIAG deadline. It will contain provisional budget plans up to financial year 2001-02, which is the latest year for which a Scottish Budget has been agreed with the UK Government.

Finance

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-637 by Donald Dewar on 4 August, what the current market value of Bute House is.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive. The building is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and the Department occupies it on a sub lease.

Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to ensure that Scottish local authorities assess rateable values accurately.

Mr Jack McConnell: Valuations in Scotland are carried out by independent Assessors in accordance with an extensive framework of statute and case law that includes a judicial appeal process. Most rateable values are determined by reference to the actual rents applying both for the subjects being valued and subjects comparable in size, character and situation.

Fisheries

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the new coastguard arrangements recently announced by Her Majesty’s Government will not detrimentally affect Scottish fishermen.

Mr John Home Robertson: Maritime safety and the responsibilities of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are matters reserved to the UK Government. Fishermen’s interests are included in the Scottish Executive’s continuing liaison with the UK Government on all relevant matters.

Fisheries

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will announce the key performance targets it has set for Fisheries Research Services for 1999-2000.

Mr John Home Robertson: I have set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services for the financial year 1999-2000:

  Delivery of Service.

  To achieve 90% of the performance targets set in the Schedules to the Service Level Agreement.

  To achieve 80% of the milestones agreed for Research and Development projects.

  To maintain, pro rata, FRS’ publication output per member of staff.

  To produce 12 information pamphlets for the industry in the course of the year.

  Quality of Service

  To submit the scientific work of the Fisheries Management Programme at the Marine Laboratory to a peer review by a visiting group and for the group to report by May 2000.

  To submit by March 2000 the quality manuals and documentation which are required for the accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, of the monitoring programmes for algal toxins, microbiological contamination of shellfish, List II viral diseases of fish, and sampling of fish for residues of veterinary medicines.

  Efficiency targets

  To carry out the agreed programme for the Scottish Executive within the agreed budget.

  To recover full economic costs from external customers.

  To restrict administrative costs to a maximum of 18% of the total running costs.

  To restrict the Support Services Staff to 30% of the total staff numbers.

  To increase research vessel utilisation to 540 days per year, operating at a daily cost of £5,300 (Scotia) and £2,500 (Clupea).

  These various tasks should provide a sound basis for evaluating performance by establishing a time series for certain indicators and by requiring external scrutiny by external accreditors and scientific peers.

Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there are disparities between the budgets of each health board area for health promotion work.

Susan Deacon: Promoting public health is one of the Scottish Executive’s priorities for the NHS in Scotland and I expect to see this reflected in every aspect of Health Boards’ activities. Data on health promotion activities is only collected centrally for Health Promotion Teams and Divisions within Health Boards. I am aware that this may not cover all health promotion expenditure by Health Boards, for example time spent by the district nurse on health promotion issues will not be included. For this reason comparisons between Health Boards can be misleading.

Health

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the membership of the Glasgow North Area Trust and whether any members reside within the Glasgow Springburn constituency.

Susan Deacon: Membership of the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust is as follows:

  Mr Ronnie Cleland, Chairman

  Mr John Bannon, trustee

  Mr Ian Irvine, trustee

  Professor Stan Kaye, trustee

  Mrs Pratima Pershad, trustee

  Ms Maggie Boyle, Chief Executive

  Mr Brian Steven, Director of Finance

  Mr Alan Boyter, Director of Human Resources

  Ms Margaret Smith, Director of Nursing

  Dr William Anderson, Medical Director

  No information is held centrally to determine whether a Board member resides in the Glasgow Springburn constituency.

Health

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of malnutrition in Scotland and what measures it will take to address this issue.

Susan Deacon: There is no clear definition of malnutrition. Malnutrition can mean both under nourishment as well as over nourishment. The programmes for monitoring the nutritional status of children throughout the UK has shown that most children are adequately nourished, but that there is a persistent rise in the numbers overweight and obese. For adults, Scottish Health Survey data indicate that, whilst only 6.9% of Scots in the 16-64 age group were classed as underweight, 51.4% were classed as either overweight or obese. Eating a healthy and balanced diet and keeping physically active together help people to maintain appropriate body weight. The Scottish Executive is pursuing a range of initiatives to encourage and support the population to make the necessary changes to their diet and physical activity levels.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what new investment in the Stroke Unit at Stracathro Hospital is planned.

Susan Deacon: In 1998-99 the Trustees of the Angus NHS Endowment Fund earmarked £860,000 to provide more suitable accommodation for the Stroke Unit at Stracathro Hospital. The decision to make this investment has been deferred pending the outcome of the wider review of acute services now currently underway in Tayside.

Health

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what will be the cost of implementing the changes at Stracathro Hospital as announced by Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust on 24 August 1999.

Susan Deacon: Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust is still considering the detail of the proposals and, therefore, cannot say what the financial implications of implementation would be at this stage. I will ask the Trust to convey this information to Mr Swinney when it becomes available.

Housing

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the future of Scottish Homes.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Housing Green Paper invited views on a number of topics relating to the future institutional framework for housing in Scotland including views on which activities currently undertaken by Scottish Homes will be relevant in the future. We recently published a summary of the responses to the Green Paper and we are currently considering the future of Scottish Homes in the light of these responses.

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to  The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: An Action Plan for Scotland (Recommendation 18), what timescale has been set for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland to produce Major Crime Investigation Review Policy Documents.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: An Action Plan for Scotland (Recommendation 57), what timescale has been set for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland to publish guidance for forces on what constitutes inappropriate behaviour or language, including racist words or acts.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to  The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: An Action Plan for Scotland (Recommendations 20-22), what deadlines have been set for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland’s Personnel and Training Committee to produce the various proposals referred to.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: An Action Plan for Scotland (Recommendation 54), what timescale has been set for the consideration of particularly Scottish initiatives to be pursued in the area of training in racism awareness.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-720.

Justice

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue legal aid fixed fee payments and, if so, what procedures are in place to monitor any impact on defence solicitors and the offices of the Procurator Fiscal.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the Member to my answer to her earlier question S1W-1327.

Local Government

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have still to implement business continuity or disaster recovery plans in relation to the year 2000 IT transition.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Accounts Commission report  Millennium Countdown Year 2000 Compliance published in May 1999 reported that 25 authorities planned to have contingency plans in place by 30 September and the other 7 planned to have plans in place by 30 November. The Accounts Commission is undertaking a second assessment of local authorities Year 2000 compliance and the results of that will be announced at the National Infrastructure Forum in October.

Planning

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to revise planning law to remove the possibility of renewal of outline planning permission outwith a specific time limit, for example a ten year period.

Sarah Boyack: Generally, planning permissions lapse if development is not begun within 5 years. Once development is underway it is open to the relevant planning authority to serve a completion notice on the developer if they are of the opinion that the development will not be completed within a reasonable period. Thus planning authorities have a potential remedy where the failure to complete a development within a reasonable period is causing a problem.

  The Scottish Executive has no current plans to revise these aspects of planning legislation.

Planning

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to revise planning law to tighten up the definition of work on site before renewal of outline consent can be granted.

Sarah Boyack: Generally, both outline and full planning permissions lapse unless development is begun within 5 years. Section 27(4) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 specifies what operations constitute a development having begun.

  The Scottish Executive has no current plans to revise this aspect of planning legislation.

Planning

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to revise planning law to remove the loophole of duplicate planning applications.

Sarah Boyack: The submission of duplicate applications does not disadvantage objectors to particular development proposals but, at the same time, can be advantageous to potential developers.

  The Scottish Executive has no current plans to revise this aspect of planning legislation.

Social Inclusion

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the main items of expenditure, including the overhead costs of delivery agencies, involved in the Social Inclusion Partnerships in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive provides support costs to allow partnerships to set up dedicated teams to improve programme delivery and co-ordination, totalling £1.2 million. Furthermore up to 2.5% of Social Inclusion Partnerships’ revenue budgets can be allocated to meet administration costs. The Scottish Executive does not require Social Inclusion Partnerships to report itemised details of expenditure.

Transport

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made or will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government requesting that steps be taken to ensure that passengers travelling on package holidays from Scottish airports are not subjected to unfair flight supplements.

Sarah Boyack: The application of flight supplements for passengers travelling on package holidays from Scottish airports is a matter for the commercial judgement of operators. If there is evidence of abuse of a monopoly position or anti-competitive practice then such matters should be taken up directly with the Director General of Fair Trading. The Director General can act directly on the activities of industry and commerce by investigating and remedying anti-competitive practices. The Scottish Executive would refer evidence of such matters to the competition authorities.

Transport

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue and how many jobs are lost to Scotland due to passengers flying from airports outwith Scotland (a) on package holidays (b) on business and (c) for other extraneous reasons.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any data on the revenue and employment consequences of passengers flying from airports outwith Scotland.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what money has been paid from motoring penalties collected in Scotland to Her Majesty’s Treasury in each of the last three years; what plans it has to secure hypothecation of such money for road and other specific projects in Scotland, and what proportion of income from motoring penalties it believes it can secure for such projects in future years.

Sarah Boyack: Revenue from all motoring penalties in Scotland was £10.897 million in 1996-97, £11.660 million in 1997-98 and £12.306 million in 1998-99. These amounts accrued to the Exchequer.

  Consideration is being given to the possibility of using fine income to fund additional speed cameras. In addition, local authorities in Scotland can seek approval from the Scottish Ministers to introduce decriminalised parking schemes. These enable a local authority to administer its own parking penalty scheme and to retain the revenue from the penalties to finance its parking enforcement procedures. The legislation underpinning these powers requires that the revenue from on-street parking penalties must be used for traffic or transport related projects and cannot be used for any other purpose

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what works are programmed for the Kingston Bridge on the M8, what plans it has to repair the bridge, and when it expects the bridge to be restored to full operation.

Sarah Boyack: A major contract to address Kingston Bridge’s structural problems is in progress. The works include strengthening of the centre and side spans of the deck, demolition and reconstruction of the main supports, and restoring the articulation of the bridge. This contract is expected to be completed in autumn 2000.

  Further works to improve the approach viaducts and ramps are planned. These works will take a number of years to complete depending on the availability of funds.

  Until the programme for the remaining works has been finalised we cannot say when the current traffic restrictions will be removed and the bridge restored to full operation.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide an estimate of the capital value of the trunk road and motorway network in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: At 1 April 1999 the capital value of the trunk road and motorway network in Scotland was estimated as being £7.9bn.